Chapter 6
Maverick
“There is nothing like the hunting of women. No gourmet food. No expensive liquor. No sensual perfume. And no raw, unbridled sexual experience that could hold a candle to the hunt, the capture, and the kill.”
The bastard’s words lingered in my mind. I could almost hear his voice inside my head, laughing as he tossed them out like cookie crumbs to potential new conquests.
Every time I cinched my eyes shut, I could see his face. But in a few seconds, the ugliness was crowded out by visions of my unexpected guest.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
What the hell was I doing?
Touching her? Kissing her?
I needed to shut it all down immediately. But I didn’t want to.
Yes, Alexia was fucking gorgeous. Yes, she’d awakened something I’d believed driven into permanent abstention. She’d also managed with a single smile to allow my cravings to surface.
Yet at the same time, discovering her identity had also jarred an abysmal past, destroying dozens of chains and locks I’d placed around myself for one single reason.
Keeping my sanity.
Maybe two.
To keep me from breaking down the doors of the prison and killing the evil bastard myself.
He’d fucked with everyone for almost a year, taunting victims, police officers, and judges.
He’d believed himself bigger than the law, enjoying terrifying everyone in the chase. But he hadn’t been able to get to me.
At least not where others could witness the downfall of a once highly decorated FBI agent. Little did anyone know how much I’d suffered.
Keeping my anger and inner frustrations private had been a feat for years. I’d finally surrendered the memories and burning need to the same prison as everything else about the case.
Now the doors had been blown wide open.
“I want you,” Alexia said quietly.
I kissed her again, this time with abandon. She had no idea what she’d just started. As I swept my tongue inside once again, she gripped my shirt, arching her back. The feel of having her in my arms was incredible, pushing every boundary.
Every moan she whispered I captured. The taste of her was so damn sweet I was lightheaded. Just when I thought I was about to drag her inside, pitching her on my bed, she pushed away.
Her laugh was playful and when she dragged the tip of her tongue around her lips, the ache in my balls increased.
Goddamn it. What the hell was I going to do with her?
I sensed Alexia was in danger and I had every intention of keeping her safe. Other than the laws of the land, I wasn’t hindered by the guidelines forced on me as an agent. However, going after a ghost wouldn’t do either one of us any good.
“What are we doing here?” Alexia asked. Her voice was alluring, the slight look she offered playful. Now she was teasing me.
“I think you know the answer.” Although I wasn’t certain I did.
Since the initial meeting in the bookstore, the attraction had been undeniable.
Everything she’d said personally, including appreciating the dominating side of my characters had exposed the same darkness inside of her that I usually kept buried deep within me.
A longing that could be considered sadistic if not completely possessive in nature.
She studied me for a few seconds, taking another sip of her wine. “I don’t want to get hurt.”
“And you think I’m that kind of man?”
Every laugh dragged the primal cravings to the surface. “Are you?”
“Well, I don’t intend on hurting you, at least emotionally. Will there be pain involved? Perhaps. But I know that’s what you want and what you need.” We were close enough I could concentrate on the bobbing pulse on the side of her neck. I was pushing every button.
And I just didn’t care. The longing for her was already off the charts.
She couldn’t deny what I was telling her. “You know what I need?”
“Yes. Intimately. Come here, Alexia.” I even beckoned her with a single finger.
“Why?” The little vixen ran the tip of her tongue across her bottom lip again.
“Because I commanded you to do so.”
She studied her glass for a full ten seconds before obeying, lifting her head as she approached. “Yes, Mr. Callahan?”
I took her wineglass from her hand, placing both drinks on the outside table.
Then I cupped her face, rubbing her jaw as I’d done before.
Within seconds, the tension eased, the bright moon rising over the ocean water adding a shimmering reflection to her eyes.
She was without a doubt the most beautiful woman I’d ever met. “I need to see all of you. Every inch.”
“What if I don’t obey?”
“Then I guess you’ll learn the truth about me.”
“Which is?”
“Exactly what I told you. That I’m no hero and certainly no saint.” I lowered my head, kissing the top of her forehead.
“You must have me confused,” she mused. “I never said anything about you being a saint. But I did experience your heroic qualities. That’s not something you can deny.”
Rescuing then protecting her had been the only thing on my mind all those years ago. Here we were all over again.
I continued to tell myself the phone call was likely nothing more than a copycat. That should be the truth, but the nagging sensations remained.
With her hand in mine, I led her through the house. She didn’t fight me even as the air between us crackled with a heavy weight of electricity.
Copycat freaks determined to have their fifteen minutes of fame had haunted the operators at the FBI after Samuel’s arrest, keeping the employees busy. Even I’d chased my share of false leads in my attempt to mend fences as well as keep a single scrap of evidence from being considered tainted.
After Samuel had been tried, convicted, and tossed in a maximum-security prison, his notoriety had kept the crazies fed on his brand of crack. It had taken two full years for the shit show to dry up and the nutcases to shift their attention and efforts to another psychopath.
By then, even I’d moved onto another case. Another horror. Another situation where justice hadn’t been served. At least in my mind.
I’d made a couple of calls about Samuel on the way to my house, discovering nothing that would raise any red flags.
What I needed to do was have a discussion with the other members of Raven Intel.
Collectively, we might be able to get a handle on how to go forward with the situation if needed.
Or if that should even be an option. Yes, she’d received a phone call.
I’d seen the unknown number on her phone.
The redial had led to nowhere as expected.
At this point, that was all there was to go on.
One decision I had made. Whether she liked it or not, I would do my best to keep her protected.
Alexia spun in a circle as she studied the room, biting her lower lip. Maybe from nervousness. Which I doubted. Maybe out of frustration. Which made much more sense. There were several things wrong with this scenario.
I was much older.
I’d saved her life from a madman.
She was idealizing the man who’d saved her, a far cry from the person I’d become.
And the pièce de résistance? I wasn’t remotely interested in a relationship of any kind and she deserved more than some asshole fucking her for one night.
That meant I should stop what I was doing right now.
Now, in my bedroom, I could tell by the flash in her eyes what she was thinking. We both knew this was just for one night, but the connection was too strong, so intense we couldn’t pull away. There was no reason for words, although we needed to discuss the situation and come to an understanding.
There was no concept of foreplay. We’d barely finished one drink before I’d agreed to bring her to my home to go over my notes.
Whatever rational stance I’d taken seemed out of place given what was about to transpire between us. I threw back my scotch, enjoying the light burn in my throat. It had been a long time since I’d indulged in the experience of being alive.
Only a few people in the world would understand the sentiment.
Whether or not my voice within the pages of my books had indicated what a dominating man I’d become would soon be tested. My hunger was already too extreme to back away now.
“Undress.” My dick was pinched hard against my jeans, enough so my upper lip twitched, movement she noticed.
And she smiled.
Using only my index finger, I brushed hair from her face, allowing the tip to trail down the long line of her neck.
She shuddered at my touch, her answer breathless. “Here?”
“Right here.”
I sensed she wanted to glance out the window, perhaps worried someone might see us. Or second guessing her decision. “Obey me, Alexia. When I give you a command, you will comply immediately. Understood?”
“Yes, sir. I mean Master.” Her playfulness returned, the little wink exaggerated.
I kept my grip for a few additional seconds before lifting her chin higher. “You don’t know what you’ve started.” The honest truth.
“What happens if I want to find out?”
“Then your wish will be granted, but only if you’re a very good girl.”
“That would be taking all the fun out of the moment.”
All I could think about in the back of my mind was that she was a precious jewel, a creature to be treasured. I let her go, watching as she backed away, still nervous, but excitement lingered, the crackle of electric current running strong.
As she pulled her shirt from her tight skirt, I took a deep breath. I’d seen several aspects of her personality in just a few hours. Trepidation to defiance. Frustration to certainty. Yet she was still searching for a hero even after all her accomplishments.
The thought hit at the decency inside of me more than I thought possible. But dear God, if the monster still existed, this time there were no rules that would keep me from hunting the son of a bitch down, no matter what swamp he slithered into.
He’d pay a price that would transcend time and opportunity. He’d learn about the experience of utter anguish.